Spring-actuated fire indicator or alarm



(No Model) S. D. EARL. SPRING AGTUATED FIRE INDICATOR 0R ALARM.

No. 424,545. Patented Apr; 1, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPENCER D. EARL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SP RING-ACTUATED FIRE INDICATOR OR ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,545, dated April 1, 1890.

Application filed Apn'l 8, 1889. 'Serial No. 306,300. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SPENCER D. EARL, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Actuated Eire Indicators or Alarms, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates'to apparatus for indicating an alarm in buildings in the event of fire occasioned by overheated stoves, furnaces, or other causes.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an alarm of comparatively simple construction and of positive action for indicating or signaling to the occupants of the building of fires, occasioned as they are so generally by sparks from stoves, overheated furnaces, and defective flues.

My invention consists in providing a firealarm indicator actuated by a spring mech anism of a positive character in contradistinction to apparatus of the type as heretofore constructed, in which the same has been dependent on the making or breaking of an electric circuit or circuits by the heat evolved from the burning floors, beams, or other parts of the building consuming a strip or strips of fusible metal or by setting in action a mercurial thermometer arranged in the circuit of a battery of the apparatus for actuating an alarm or bell.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be more fully understood, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the three floors of a building, showing my invention in applicationto the respective floors thereof.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the spring-actuated alarm apparatus, showing the mechanism for actuating the bell. Fig. is atop or plan View of the spring-actuated mechanism of the apparatus. Fig. at is a side View of a section of tarred rope with pendent fibrous threads to be located in proximity to the furnaces or stoves of the building, and said material being made of or coated with a readily ignitible substance and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a floor having a series of grooves running at right angles to each other in which are mounted the ignitible rope or threads connected with the spring-actuated mechanism of the alarm.

Referring to the drawings, A is the framework or housing for the spring actuated mechanism. To this housing is mounted a shaft B, around which is coiled a fiat spring O, secured to said shaft B at one extremity thereof, and its opposite extremity secured to an arm (Z, which is secured to a gear-wheel D, mounted upon said shaft. This gear-wheel D meshes with apinion d, mounted on a shaft (P. The pinion d is formed integral with or secured to a gear-wheel E, which meshes with a pinion E, mounted on the shaft f, which is journaled to the housing A. This pinion F carries or operates an escape-wheel G, with which engages wedge -pallets g, secured to a shaft g, the journals of which are loosely mounted in the housing A. This shaft g carries a vertical T shaped arm 71 provided at each of the upper ends thereof with knobs 7t and 7L2 for actuating the hell I, supported from the side of the housing A by means of a vertically-curved arm t. On the shaft B, upon which is mounted the coiled mainspring O for storing up the power for actuating the combined mechanism, is mounted a ratchet-wheel c, which is held rigidly on the shaft 13. \Vith the teeth of this ratchetwheel 0 engages a pawl 0 which is pivoted to the housing A, and this pawl is held in engagement with the teeth of said ratchetwheel 0 by means of a flat spring 0 secured to the housing A. The shaft B is formed square at its outer extremity, in order that a key may be readily applied thereto for winding or storing up the power for actuating the combined mechanism in the flat spring 0, coiled around the shaft 13. In the upper part of the housing A is loosely mounted a shaft 7; with a crank 91. The shaft 7t is held in operative position in the housing A by means of the washers 7e and U, which are held to place by means of pins k and 70*. On the shaft 70 is mounted a sector or arm L, the upper portion of which is provided with an opening, into which one end of a spiral spring Z is secured, and the opposite end of said spring is attached to a projecting pin m, located adjacent to the housing'A. The sector or arm L performs the function of arresting the train of gearing and the teeth of this sector-arm engage with theteeth of the. gearwheel E, and the same is kept in position by means of the crank '11, the wire n, the bellcrank lever O, rope 19, andignitible material'or ropeR, rope S, and the Weight T,Which equalize the force of the spring 0 of the alarm mechanism.

If from any cause the above-mentioned connection be broken, the weight T will drop to the floor of the building, thereby causing the spring 0 to be brought into action to impart motion to said train of gearing and said scape-wheel G, which imparts motion to the hammer 71, to actuate the bell I, to give the desired alarm to the occupants of the house of the impending danger confronting them.

In the lower extremity of the crank 01 is inserted a wire 71, the opposite extremity of which may be formed with an eye 71?, and made to engage with a bellcrank lever O, pivoted at 0 to a block 0 secured to the wall of the apartment or room. Near the outer eX- tremity of this bell-crank lever is provided a hook 0 to which is attached a spiral spring 0 for maintaining the bell-crank lever O in proper position when the combined apparatus is set. To the extreme end of the bellcrank lever O is attached a wire p, running therefrom over pulleys to the point or parts of the building where fire is likely to originate, where connections are made with a rope or ropes R, made of a material or materials capable of being readily ignited or coated with rosin, tar, or other readily-ignitible substance or substances. These ropes or materials are disposed through the internal spaces of the walls in proximity to the flues of the building or around about the fire-places of the different apartments of the building and run along through grooves a" and r in the beams or floors r of the several apartments, where they are again connected with wires S, running over pulleys, suitably arranged in the walls, to the cellar. The wires S therein are then joined to the readily-ignitible materials or ropes R, with pendants located above the furnace or around about the same or in such positions thereto as wherever the most danger is to be apprehended, and from which materials so disposed wires are again run therefrom over a pulley or pulleys to a weight or weights T.

The principal advantages of my invention are, first, that the apparatus is positive in action, being not dependent upon the fusing of strips of metal or the setting into action at a high temperature of a mercurial thermometer arranged in an electric circuit for giving an alarm in case of fire 5 but, aside from this fact,

the principal objection heretofore experienced in the use of such apparatus has been that the different portions of the building could not well be reached that is, afire originating from sparks or overheated stoves or the building before heating up the fusible strips of metal or setting into action the mercurial thermometer, so as to effect the apparatus, while by my arrangement of apparatus,

with the readily-ignitible material disposed along the floors and beams in thediiferent fireoriginating spots or parts of the building, with the pendent threads or cords of ignitible material or coated with substances or materials capable of being readily ignited in most any direction or part of the building that a fire might originate, this ignitible material or materials, preferably in the form of ropes or cords R, will be consumed, thereby operating the spring-actuated mechanism of the device by setting off the bell or alarm in the follow ing manner: The mainspring G is wound up by means of a key or crank and the sector or arm L brought into engagement with the gearwheel E. Connections are then made between the spring-actuated mechanism and the weight T, counterbalancing the power of the spring 0. WVith special reference, now, to Fig. 1, the sector or arm L is kept in position to arrest the train of gearing by the crank 01, wire 42', bell-=crank lever 0, wire or rope p, and i gnitlble substance or material It in the grooves r and r of the third floor of the building; thence the wire or rope is conducted in any-preferred manner along the second floor to a bell-crank lever 0, over a pulley, and through a webbing of ignitible material provided with pendants, and which webbing maybe located above the stove or furnace, from which it passes over a pulley to a weight T to counterbalance the stored-up power or energy in the spring 0.

If the above connection should be broken, either through fire or an overheated stove or furnace, thereby severing the rope or ignitible material or substance R, the weight T will drop, freeing the sector or arm L and causing the spring 0 to actuate the hammer h to operate the hell I by means of the train of gearing and scape-wheel G. The spring 0, attached to the bell-crank lever O, operates to draw the freed ends of the rope or other ignitible material R in the direction of the spring-actuated mechanism hereinabove described, and thereby insures a release of the sector or arm L to obtain the alarm desired and apprise the occupants of the building of the impending danger confronting them. The spring actuated mechanism may be constructed so that the alarm is given for an indefinite period of time by increasing the storage capacity of the mainspring C, mounted on and coiled around the shaft B.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with the spring-actuated device for giving an alarm, as described, of a crank with a toothed sector or arm engaging with the main gear-wheel of said device, a wire or rope connected with said crank and a bell-crank lever, a wire or wires attached to a rope or ropes of ignitible material from said In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my bell-crank lever and disposed through the signature in the presence of two subscribing building as described, and said rope or ropes Witnesses.

having ignitible pendants attached thereto, SPENCER D. EARL. and a Wire or Wires leading from and con- VVit-nesses:

neoted With a Weight or Weights, all arranged THOMAS M. SMITH,

as shown, and for the purposes set forth. GEO. \V. REED. 

